Cage-trap.



R In... WN RA U APPLIGATION FILED SEPT.1, 1909.

Fatented. June 6, 1911.

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WITNESSES ATTORNEYS I. RAMIREZ.

v CAGE TRAP. ATEPLIOATION FILED SEPT. l, 1909.

Patented June 6, 1911.

llwmol? ISIDORO RAMIREZ, OF IVIA'IAMOROS, MEXICO.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

CAGE-TRAP.

Patented June a, 1911.

Application filed September 1, 1909. Serial No. 515,571.

To all whom it may concern: '1 3e it known that I, Ismono RAMIREZ, a cltlzen of the Republic of Mexico, and a resident of Matamoros, in the State of Tamauhpas, Mexico, have invented a new One of th leading features of novelty re-- sides in 'a flat spring for closing the door of the cage; this spring being secured to the cage at one of its ends and adapted-to be engaged at its free end by a device or member designed to hold it inbowed position under tension. The straightening of the spring pulls the door shut with great sud-v denness.

Another feature of novelty is the inter position, as a connecting element, between the main door and a'spring for closing the same, of a double door'in the nature of a 30. bell-crank lever, which double door stands in another doorway of the cage, and the parts being so proportioned-and arranged. that one or other member of said double door closes its doorway whether the main or entrance door is open or closed. The ad-.;

vantage of this arrangement is that access may be hadto the portion of the cage remote from the main door, without permitting animals to 'enter'by the wrong doorway or to escape thropgh the same, and at the same timeleconomizing parts by constituting the double door part of the operating'connection between the spring and the mainor entrance door. 1

e5 Another feature of novelty relates to a slidable bait-holding and setting device.

Further novelty is found in the form of" spring latch for holding the sliding doors of the mice compartments closed;

Various othernovel features and details of construction will be presently pointed out and specified in the claims. Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of refere e indicate corresponding parts in :all

11 s, and in which-- for rats and mice, the features of construc- Figure 1 is a plan viewof the improved trap; Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the same substantially on the line v22 in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view, substantially on the line 3 3 in Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, the nu meral 1 indicates the rat cage or .compartment, and the numeral 2 one or more mice cages or compartments, secured to the sides of the cage 1. The cage 1 may, as shown, be in the form of an elongated rectangular box, with open ends. The forward end of cage 1, which is the entrance end, is adaptedto be closed by a pivoted door3, preferably pivoted at its lower end, as at 4;. A spring lock 5 secured to the end-of the cage lis'constructed to permit the door to ride past on closing and then to hold the door against opening. The door maybe opened againby pulling the spring lock upward. T- henu- I meral 6 designates a flatspring, preferably located at the other end of the cage 1, being secured thereto, at one end, as its lower end 7. This spring is' adapted to he under tension by being bewed, as shown in 2, andto close the door 3 quickly upon straightening. The free, or upper, end 8 of this spring is adapted to be engaged and held, when the spring is bowed, byamember 9. This member may be a tilting device, as shown, pivoted' intermediate its length, ,at 10. One end of the member 9 is conveniently '90 notched beneath, as indicated at 11, to en gage and-hold theupperend of the spring 6, which may be provided with a' lip as shown; The other end of member 9. is adapted to bear upon a narrow portion 12 of a bait-holdingand setting device '13. When this endof the member 9 is deprived of the support of the device'l8, as the result of said device being eitherv tilted sidewise or slid away from the member 9, the said member9- tilts, permittingthe spring 6 to fly-outward,- .a movement which I have termed straightening, though, as shown in the drawings, the spring neednot become really straight, but merely less bowed.

The preferred connections between-the spring 6 and the door 3 comprisea part 14, which I have variously termed in the claims a bell-crank lever and a double door in the nature of a bell-crank lever, 1110 rods'15 connecting the inner, member. of'the double door 14 with the door. 3, and a chain. or other similar flexible connector 16; -be-' tween the outer member of said .double door and the spring 6. The chain 16 constitutes the connection between the spring 6 and the door 3 a lost-motion or slack connection, as

indicated in F 1g. 2, since the cha1n 1s slack when the spring 6 is set, whereby the spring, on straightening, closes the door 3 with a sudden jerk.

It will be seen that one or other member of the double door 14 closes the rear end of the cage 1, Whether the door 3 is open or closed. A stop 17' is adapted to receive the impact of the inner member of the door 1 1, to hold the same closing the doorway. Preferably, there are two rods 15, one'at each side of the cage 1 within, and desirably restrained in place by vertical keeper rods 33. v

The bait-holding and setting device 13 is mounted to slide in a slot 18 in the top of "thecage- 1, which slot extends from av point near the door 3 .to the rear portion of the aflixing the bait. The device 13 is prefen.

cage. Thus, the bait-holding device may be slid close to the door 3 for convenience in ably formed of Wire, its lower part being f constructed to hold the bait, as by presenting a hookformation 19. A longitudinal guide rod 20 is preferably located beneath the top of the cage, adjacent and parallel with the slot 18; and the device 13 is preferably looped, as at 21, to slide on this rod. It is desirable to bend the upper part of the device 13 to present two lateral, oppositely extending, convolutions 22, which hold the side members of a substantially U-shaped piece of wire 23, the free ends of which rest onthe top of the box, to give the device 13 greater stability against accidental displacement from sustaining relation with respect to the tiltable member 9..

The micecages 2 have their open fronts provided with vertically slidable doors 24:, which may be detained in elevated or set position by intermediately pivoted levers 25 and bait-holding and setting devices 26 of customary design. Depending from veach door 2 1 is a spring latch member 27, adapted to slide andbe flexed against a portion of the cage 2, as rod 28 thereof, to give it the requisite tension. This latch member 27 possesses an inclined riding surface 29 adapted to ride on akeeper rod '30, and a Having thus described my invention, 1

claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A trap, comprising a cage, a door therefor, a fiat spring adapted to be put under tension by being bowed, a member adapted jerk.

to hold said spring in bowed position-ii-and to be released by an animal within the-cage, and a pivoted device having members arranged at an angle to each other and connected respectively with the said spring and door whereby the spring on straightening closes the door.

2. A trap, comprising a cage, a pivoted door therefor, a fiat spring secured at one of its ends to the cage and adapted" to be put under tension by being bowed, a device adapted to engage with the free end of said spring to hold the same in bowed position, andnieans whereby said device is to be released by an animal within the trap, a pivoted device having members arranged at an angle to each other, a connection between one of said members and the door, and lostmotion connection between the other member and said spring whereby the spring on straightening pulls the door shut with a erk.

3.. A'trap, comprising a cage, a pivoted door therefor, a flat spring secured at one of its ends to the cage and adapted to be put under tension by being bowed, a device adapted to engage with the free end of said.

spring to hold the same in bowed position, and means whereby said device is to be released by an animal within the trap, and connection between said spring and door in eluding a pivoted member and a' flexible part between said pivoted member and the spring which is slack when the spring is held by said device, whereby the spring on straightening pulls the door shut with a 1. A trap,comprising a cage, a door therefor, a fiat-spring secured at one of its ends to the cage and adapted to be put under tension by being bowed, a device adapted to engage with the free end of said spring to hold the same in bowed position, and means whereby said device is to be released by an animal within the trap, and connection between said spring and door whereby the spring on straightening closes the door, said connection including a bell-crank lever having one of its arms connected to said spring and the other arm to saiddoor.

5. A trap, comprising a cage, a door therefor, a fiat spring secured at one of its ends to the bottom of the cage at one end of thelatter and adapted to be put under tension by being bowed around said end o-fthe cage, a device .adapted to engage with the free end of said spring to hold the same in bowed position, and means whereby said device is to be released by an animal within the cage, and connection between said spring and door whereby the spring on straightening closes the door with a jerk, said connection including a bell-crank lever vhaving one of its arms connected with said door, and a flexible connector betweenthe other arm. of said bellcrank lever and said spring, said connector being adapted to be slack when said spring is held bowed by saiddevice.

6. A trap, comprising a cage-having two doorways, a door for closing one doorway, a double pivoted door in the nature of a bellcrank lever located in the other doorway, connection between said doors whereby when the outer member of said double door closes its doorway the first-mentioned door is open and when the inner member of said double door closes its doorway the firstmentioned door is closed, a spring for swinging said double door, and animal-releasablemeans for holding said spring under tenslon. a

7. A trap, comprising a cage having opposed doorways, a'pivoted door for closing one of said doorways, a double pivoted door in the nature of a bell-crank lever located in the other doorway, a connecting link between the first-mentioned door and the inner member of said double door, of such length that when the outer member of said double door closes its doorway the firstmentioned door is open and when the inner member of said double door closes its doorway thefirstmentioned door is closed, a flat spring secured at one of itsends to the cage and adapted to be put under tension byend of which is connected with said spring and the other end with said door whereby the spring on straightening'closes the door, a tiltable member adapted to hold the free end of said spring when the latter is bowed,

and a bait-holding device adapted to release said tiltable member.

9. A trap, comprising a cage, a door therefor, a flat spring secured'at its lower end to the cage and adapted to be put under tension by being bowed upward, a pivoted member one end of which is connected with said spring and the other end with said door, whereby the spring on straightening closes the door, a member pivoted intermediate its length having its under portion at one side of its pivot formed to retain the free end of said spring when bowed,.and a bait-holding device upon which said member is adapted to bear at the other side of its pivot.

10. A trap, comprising a cage, having an elongated slot in its top, a door, a sprin for closing said door, a guide, and a bait-hold ing and setting device mounted in said slot and having a looped member slidably-engaging said guide.

11. A trap, comprising a cage having a slot in the top thereof extending from a point near the front of said cage to the rear part thereof, a door for closing the front of the cage, a spring for closing said door, and a bait-holding and setting device mounted slidably in said slot and having a member resting on the top of the cage.

12. A trap, comprising a cage, having an elongated slot in its top, and a guide rod beneath the top extending parallel and adjacent said slot, a door, a spring for closing the same, and a bait-holding and setting device mounted slidably on said guide and in said slot.

13. A trap, comprising a cage, having an elongated slot in its top, a door, a spring for closing the door, a pivoted member for holding the spring under tension, a baitholding and setting device mounted slidably in said slot and formed of a piece of wire ,formed at its lower portion to receive the bait and above said slot bent to present a narrow portion upon which the said pivoted member is adapted to bear and two lateral convolutions, and a substantially U-shaped member held by said lateral convolutions with its ends adapted to bear against the top of said cage. I c

14. A trap, comprising a cage, a pivoted door therefor, a flat spring secured at one of its ends to the cage and adapted to be put under tension by being bowed, a device adapted to engage with the free end of said spring to hold the same in bowed position and means whereby said device is to be released by an animal within the trap, a pivoted member connected at one end with said spring and at the other end with said door whereby the spring on straightening pulls the door shut, and a spring lock mounted-on the cage adapted to permit said door to latch past on closing and to hold the same closed. I

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscrlblng witnesses.

ISIDORO RAMIREZ. Witnesses:

DUKE JONES, GmsANm VII-LAREAL. 

